Information Note on the Court’s case-law 230

June 2019

A.S. and Others v. Russia (communicated case) - 45049/17, 51807/17, 52291/17 et al.

Article 3

Degrading treatment

Inhuman treatment

Informal prisoner hierarchy allegedly tolerated by prison management: communicated

Article 13

Effective remedy

Informal prisoner hierarchy allegedly tolerated by prison management: communicated

Article 14

Discrimination

Informal prisoner hierarchy allegedly tolerated by prison management: communicated

The applicants complain that, while in detention, they were placed, by other prisoners, in the lowest caste in the informal prisoner hierarchy which was governed by an informal code of the criminal underworld. The punishment for those disobeying the “rules ” could be a beating, rape or death.

They had to sleep in specific beds, had a designated table in the canteen and a particular washstand. They were forbidden to eat or sit anywhere else or to touch other inmates’ clothing or property. They were not allowe d to put their food in communal fridges or enter the cooking area where “normal men” heated their food. They were frequently given rotten or stale food and their cutlery bore a special mark. They were assigned to do dirty work, such as cleaning pit latrine s or exercise yards. In addition, some of them were forced to provide sexual services to other prisoners who requested them. They argue that the prison management tolerated the informal hierarchy among prisoners.

Communicated under Articles 3, 8, 13 and 14 of the Convention and Article 3 of Protocol No. 1.

(See also communicated cases of X. v. Russia , 36463/11 ; and V.O. and Others v. Russia , 44449/15 )

© Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.

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